MARK CHRISTIAN MILLER, Strange Meadowlark

So integral a part of the Los Angeles jazz world that it’s far too easy to take his intimate, ultra-stylish approach to renowned standards and surprising obscurities for granted, veteran vocalist, renowned performer and live jazz champion Mark Christian Miller’s fourth album Strange Meadowlark has a sense of purposeful timelessness and relaxed elegance that reveal an ongoing understanding that such songs are not simply grand repertoire pieces but continue to resonate as living musical stories.

Establishing the collection’s breezy, rhythmically agile aesthetic, with Oscar Brown Jr.’s lively (and perfectly titled) “Mr. Kicks,” Miller brings a spritely sense of devil may care joy to “You Make Me Feel So Young,” mines the emotional depth of Johnny Mercer’s lyrical, eternally hopeful “Dream” and, among other delightful arrangements, adds a dashing, playful sense of swing to “I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm,” buoyed by Chris’ Dawson’s plucky, stride-tinged piano.

The meditative centerpiece medley pairing Dave and Iola Brubeck’s “Strange Meadowlark” with Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark” is not only thematically logical but also a bit autobiographical, tapping into Miller’s childhood growing up on an Iowa farm where meadowlark songs were beautifully familiar.

Not surprisingly considering his local reputation, he’s vibing with some of the most gifted, intuitive veteran guys on the scene – including Joe La Barbera on drums, Chuck Berghofer on bass, Robert Kyle on flute/sax and guest pianist Josh Nelson, who adds his magic to what is likely the only jazz twist on the Ned Rorem’s nostalgic art song “Early in the Morning.”